Regarding some of the latest television shows from Amazon Prime, I can think of a few that have become huge successes. The bloody superhero show, The Boys, is approaching its fourth season and also has a spinoff called Gen V which got a Season 2 renewal. The Wheel of Time is another hit, along with The Summer I Turned Pretty. All of them have found their audiences, but today, I will talk about a show that I'm almost positive will join those ranks soon enough: Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
If the title sounds familiar, that's because Amazon Prime's Mr. and Mrs. Smith is based on the movie of the same name and stars Donald Glover and Maya Erskine. But what exactly is this new series going to be about? When is it going to come out? Here is what we know so far for all of your Mr. and Mrs. Smith questions.
What Is The Mr. And Mrs. Smith Premiere Date?
Originally, the Mr. & Mrs. Smith TV show was supposed to release in November 2023, but according to Entertainment Weekly in September 2023, the show was pushed back to “early 2024.”
To be honest, this wasn’t that much of a surprise. At the time, the SAG-AFTRA strike was still in full swing, and while it did end in November 2023, there wouldn’t be adequate time to promote the series. It also doesn’t help that Glover’s contract with Amazon was suspended due to the Writer’s Strike, according to The Hollywood Reporter, so that put a damper in getting this show ready.
Even so, it’s exciting to think about what might be coming for Amazon Prime as part of the 2024 TV schedule – and now we have this show to look forward to!
Donald Glover And Maya Erskine Star
If you were wondering who is going to star in the new Mr. and Mrs. Smith, we can confirm that Donald Glover and Maya Erskine are going to be the main people we are following, with Glover’s casting reported by The Hollywood Reporter in February 2021, and Erskine announced by Deadline in April 2022. It was also reported in an article from Variety in June 2022 that their characters are John and Jane.
I’m sure some of you reading this might be confused, as it wasn’t originally Erskine who was announced to star alongside Glover. When the show was confirmed back in February 2021 by The Hollywood Reporter, Phoebe Waller-Bridge was cast in the co-lead opposite Glover, as talked about above.
This was massive news for the series. Waller-Bridge had already made her mark on Amazon Prime with her hit show, Fleabag. So, having her come back in a comedic series with Glover, also known for his comedy, would make for a great show.
However, in September 2021, Variety reported that Waller-Bridge left the production, with sources saying that the main reason was over creative differences that she had with her co-star during the creation of the series.
In April 2022, as mentioned above, Deadline announced that Erskine would take over the role. In June 2023, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Waller-Bridge said there are no hard feelings about why she left the series:
I worked on that show for six months fully in heart and mind and really cared about it — still care about it. And I know it’s gonna be brilliant. But sometimes it’s about knowing when to leave the party. You don’t want to get in the way of a vision. Creative collaboration is like a marriage, and some marriages don’t work out.
Even though Waller-Bridge left the series, I have faith in Erskine. The actress is the co-creator of the popular Hulu series, PEN15, which she also starred in, so her track record for comedy is proven. Glover even commented on Erskine joining the production in an interview that he did with himself (yes, you read that right) in Interview Magazine, saying that he thought she was “dope” and that he was “loving the show” in April 2022.
Paul Dano, John Turturro And More Co-Star
Besides our two main stars, there are several other cast members who signed on to the show. In that June 2022 Variety article, it was confirmed that Michaela Coel, John Turturro, and Paul Dano would appear in undisclosed roles.
The actors above have been making a name for themselves in the industry, as they have appeared in a variety of films/shows over the years, with Turturro in the hit superhero movie, The Batman, Dano starring in The Fablemans, and Coel leading I May Destroy You, so it’ll be exciting to see them together in a television show.
Other news from Variety in September 2022 confirmed that Parker Posey and Wagner Moura also joined the series. Both of these actors have appeared in recent projects, such as Posey in The Walking Dead universe show, Tales of the Walking Dead, and The Staircase. Moura, meanwhile, has appeared in Narcos as Pablo Escobar and in the Netflix movie, The Gray Man.
The Show Is A Reboot Of The Movie Of The Same Name
As mentioned before, Mr. and Mrs. Smith is based on the movie of the same name, and acts as an entire reboot of that story. The original film starred Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt as a bored married couple who find out that they are enemy spies, and what's worse is that they are assigned to end the other's life.
The upcoming series follows the same premise of two spies, but is a little different. The Variety article regarding Dano's casting explains that we'll follow along as John and Jane are hired by a mysterious spy agency for a mission.
In the Entertainment Weekly article regarding the delay for the premiere, more plot details were confirmed. The series is all about two strangers who give up their identities, and they are forced to marry for a spy mission. And now, they have to work together both on this marriage and on their mission. Honestly, sign me up.
Hiro Murai Is Teaming Up With Glover Again For Mr. And Mrs. Smith
The last thing we should discuss is that Donald Glover will be teaming up with Hiro Murai again for Mr. and Mrs. Smith, as confirmed by the Variety article regarding Parker Posey’s casting.
While this show has several producers, this one, particularly, stands out to me. Murai and Glover collaborated many times before on his hit black comedy, Atlanta, which went on to win several Primetime Emmy awards. And while Glover has created some incredible projects on his own, such as Amazon’s Swarm in 2022, it’s great to see him work with someone we know he’s done well with in the past.
I can’t wait for Mr. and Mrs. Smith to debut. I love both of these actors and their work, and I really think they could make this series such a fun time. Now all I have to do is be patient – which is a tricky thing to do.
